For more than a week, Hong Kong’s main thoroughfares have been filled to overflowing each night with pro-democracy protesters registering their displeasure with the government’s plans to control which candidates are eligible for the ballot. So far tensions have remained under control, though those participating in what has been termed the “umbrella revolution” have been subject to volleys of pepper spray and tear gas from security forces. With echoes of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests in the back of everyone’s minds, there have been fears over how the Chinese-backed government might react to the tense situation... but at least initially, authorities seemed to be content with waiting out the demonstrations. The government’s patience finally seemed to wear thin over the weekend, and an agreement was reached with some of the groups leading the protests to dismantle their blockades of government buildings -- and though the protests appeared to begin subsiding on Monday, many activists reaffirmed their intention to continue blockading the financial center. While the demonstrators have been extraordinarily polite and well-behaved by Western standards, there has also been a lingering worry that things could easily escalate into a violent confrontation a la Tienanmen Square.
In any case, events have revealed the extent to which all sectors of Hong Kong society have been grappling with exactly what its unique “one country, two systems” arrangement with the Chinese government means, especially as regards the question of who gets to participate in picking their leaders (and who gets shut out). In this installment of The Immediate Word, team member Mary Austin uses the Hong Kong protests -- and the news of the Supreme Court’s allowing same-sex marriages in five states -- as a context for contemplating the parable of the wedding guests in this week’s lectionary gospel. She suggests they give us an important perspective on key themes in the parable: Who is deemed worthy of being admitted to the wedding banquet and why -- and what does this tell us about who is welcome to participate in God’s kingdom?
Team member Chris Keating shares some additional thoughts on the continuing Ebola epidemic in west Africa, and growing fears that it might spread to America with the identification of the first victim here in the U.S. Despite the potential risks and the wariness of a fearful public, medical personnel and others have made a point of doing what they can to reach out to those affected and to mitigate human suffering. That seems to be the living embodiment of familiar words from our alternate Psalm text (Psalm 23): “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me.” And, Chris notes, that commitment to service is also a powerful Christian testimony... one that’s certainly consistent with Paul’s words in this week’s Philippians passage.
God’s E-vite
by Mary Austin
Matthew 22:1-14
Party planners advise us that an invitation sets the tone for the whole gathering. Formal gatherings need formal invitations, while e-mail will work for casual events. What, then, are we to think about the invitations offered in the parable Jesus tells? In the story the king sends out his servants to invite people to his banquet, yet even the presence of the servants isn’t enough to inspire people to come.
In contrast, protestors in Hong Kong have created their own event, without any invitation at all. After days of demonstrations the government invited them to disband and go home, raising the question of who’s really invited to the party there -- the table where people have a voice in the government. And another party got a lot bigger on Monday when the Supreme Court opened the door for same-sex couples to be married in five states, and potentially more soon.
In the World
Protestors in Hong Kong were definitely uninvited guests, and the government there wanted them to go home and not come back. The government has gotten its wish on the first, as many protestors dispersed ahead of a Monday deadline. The second is still to be seen. The crowd of protestors managed to focus the world’s attention on Hong Kong, and perhaps to open the door to change. As the New York Times reports: “Before the movement drew headlines around the world more than a week ago, the prospect of meaningful talks between democracy advocates and a government bent on doing Beijing’s will was nonexistent, democrats said. Now, preliminary talks have begun, and the student-led movement has strengthened the hand of Hong Kong’s democratic lawmakers.”
During the ten days that students and others slept in the streets, the crowds gathered around the government buildings were asking for the resignation of Hong Kong’s chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, and a voice in choosing his successor. The government insisted that people be able to return to work on Monday, and threatened to clear out the protestors if they didn’t leave on their own. A previous attempt to remove the protestors brought more people into the city. As the New York Times reports: “The police used tear gas a week ago in an effort to disperse protesters, but more crowds arrived in response to what were perceived by many as unnecessarily heavy-handed tactics by the authorities.” It’s hard to get rid of unwanted guests.
Here in the United States, the Supreme Court paved the way for significant numbers of people to be invited to the table, as they declined to hear challenges to same-sex marriage in five states. Their decision -- or deciding not to decide -- paved the way for people to be married in Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Oklahoma, and people began getting married within hours of the decision. As the New York Times wrote in an editorial: “On Monday morning, the first day of the Supreme Court’s new term, the most exhilarating news came not from anything the justices did, but from one thing they didn’t do. Without explanation and against expectations, the court declined to hear any of the seven petitions asking them to reject a constitutional right to same-sex marriage. By choosing not to review those cases, the justices made it possible for same-sex couples in a majority of states to marry.”
For people who have been waiting to get married, this was a significant recognition of their right to be invited into equality. These invitations don’t come easily -- and people are eager to accept. As the Boston Globe reported: “It set off a flurry of ceremonies and social-media celebrations in five states where gay marriage was suddenly legal, and anticipation in six more that are likely to be affected by the decision. A smiling pair in Indiana flashed their marriage license at an applauding crowd. One man touched his heart in Utah as he kissed his new husband. A couple in Virginia rushed to a local City Hall so quickly they arrived in t-shirts.” No wedding garment, but plenty of celebration.
In the Scriptures
For a parable about invitations and celebration, this story has an unsettling amount of violence. Even without taking it literally, it reminds us of the violence that touches so many people in our world. The traditional interpretation is that the king who hosts the feast is a stand-in for God, and the people who refuse the invitation are those in positions of power and influence in the Jewish world of the day. They won’t come when God invites them, and so God replaces them, turning to the hungry, the lowly, and the marginal and inviting them in. In his parables, though, Jesus eludes easy answers, and it feels like there must be more to it than that.
The king in the parable doesn’t seem like a very festive host. For some reason, the first set of guests all decline his invitation. Alan Brehm suggests that the king invites people to show off his power, and his invitation is more about him than about the guests. He adds, “a royal wedding is very much about demonstrating the ongoing legitimacy of one’s rule. And that means that when the wedding guests refused to come, they were repudiating his rule over them.” The originally invited guests, as the king sees it, need to be subdued and brought into line. Finally, to save face, the king is forced to invite people he wouldn’t usually think of. Even the king becomes part of God’s story of reversal and lifting up the lowly.
Ira Brent Driggers writes for workingpreacher.org that this is a parable about judgment on the religious establishment, following last week’s story: “Because this week’s parable is also directed ‘to them’ (autois, v. 1), we must not make the mistake of reading into it a judgment against the nation of Israel a whole. As with all the Gospels, much of Israel has in fact been drawn to the Jesus. Here Jesus simply continues the indictment of his opponents, but now through the analogy of a wedding banquet.” He adds that the guests should have been honored by the invitation, or at least responded to the host’s persistence in trying to get them there. The story leaves us unsure what we should be taking from it, and Driggers adds: “Preachers will not be able to extract a ‘practical’ lesson from this text. There are no nuggets of wisdom to be ‘applied’ to a congregation. This is simply an unsettling parable of disobedience and divine retribution that seeks to explain an equally unsettling reality in the larger scriptural story, namely the rejection of Jesus by some (though hardly all) of his fellow Israelites.... The one heartening aspect of the parable is the analogy of the wedding banquet -- the church is one big celebration of Jesus, with God as the host.” Even at that big banquet, there is still judgment. The parable challenges us to hold together both ideas -- the gracious invitation and the swift judgment.
There are two kinds of judgment in the parable -- on those who refuse the invitation and mistreat the king’s messengers, and on the one who comes to the feast but refuses to share in the celebration by putting on the proper garment. The parable evokes Jesus’ earlier story about the two brothers -- where one says he’ll go but doesn’t, and the other says no but does the right thing. Here, again, some refuse to come at all. The other guest accepts the invitation, and then fails to follow through. That final scene, with the guest who won’t wear a festive wedding garment, has always puzzled me. Brian Stoffregen suggests that the judgment here falls on any who believe they have an inside track to God’s party. The parable is, he writes, “not so much about a judgment against ‘outsiders,’ about whom the believers might become judgmental; but prophetic statements meant to lead to self-examination about smugness and laziness at being on the inside. We might say that God doesn’t want us to just wallow in divine grace. God expects more from us.”
In the Sermon
All of us receive invitations to birthday parties, fundraisers, casual dinners with family or friends, graduation parties, and more. How do we feel when we’re invited to something? Excited? Obligated? Tired? Pressured? Included? The sermon might look at which invitations we accept and which we decline, and how we decide where to go. Then the sermon might look at what God is inviting us to do, and our responses to God. Are we eager to accept, or more reluctant? What holds us back from accepting God’s invitations? Do we use the same criteria for God’s invitations that we do for human invitations? God has radically different priorities -- do we need to see God’s invitations in a different way from others?
Looking at the parable in light of the protests in Hong Kong invites us to think about which groups of people are left out of the banquet. Who merits an invitation to the banquet of prosperity, or democracy, or health? Who gets to sit at the table when decisions are made? God’s world is different from ours, and in our world we never seem to get around to inviting the poor, the outcasts, and those who are struggling. We’re content to keep inviting the same fortunate people to the banquets we devise, and our human institutions reinforce the patterns of some people inside while others are always outside.
It has been suggested that Jesus is the figure in the story without a wedding robe, and this parable is a story of judgment on the empire around him. The violent king evokes the rulers of Palestine in Jesus’ day, and Jesus is the guest who doesn’t fit in. Never one to follow tradition, Jesus is the one who stands out, and who will be thrown out of the party by the king who doesn’t understand him. In what ways do we try to tame Jesus, to get him to look like we do, instead of joining the party that he’s hosting? How do we try to change him to be like everyone else, instead of changing ourselves to match his deep hospitality?
Or are we ourselves the last guest? All of us have places where we hold back from God. Parts of our lives are all in, following God’s invitations, but we hold other parts back and refuse to take the last step of putting on the wedding garment and joining God’s party. The sermon might look at what we hold back from God, and where we’re willing to put everything else aside and hurry to God’s party.
SECOND THOUGHTS
Through the Valley
by Chris Keating
Psalm 23; Philippians 4:1-9
It was supposed to be a trip of a lifetime for 42-year-old Thomas Eric Duncan, when he left his home in Monrovia, Liberia, to visit his son in Dallas, Texas. But it has quickly become a trek through the valley of the shadow of death after he contracted Ebola -- becoming the first confirmed case of Ebola diagnosed within the United States. Duncan, whose symptoms were first evidenced after entering the U.S., became the first person in this country to die from the disease on Wednesday.
Like the thousands worldwide who have contracted Ebola, Duncan’s illness has been a journey through the darkest valley.
Around 4,000 Africans have died from the disease this year, including 2,069 from Liberia, and containing outbreaks of it have proven elusive. Even in countries like Nigeria, which has seen relatively few cases, doctors are urging caution and fastidious adherence to preventative measures.
On Monday, it was reported that doctors were treating Duncan with an experimental drug. At that moment he was in critical though stable condition; despite valiant efforts, he continued deteriorating and soon passed away. Fears of the epidemic spreading to North America are anything but stable, however, even though the possibilities of an Ebola outbreak in the United States are considered “extraordinarily low” in the words of President Obama.
As the epidemic continues, it seems there are no places of calm, no still waters -- and plenty of reasons to fear.
In the News
The 2014 Ebola outbreak is the largest epidemic of the disease in history, and has affected multiple countries in west Africa according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to a study by the World Health Organization, epidemiologists predict that numbers of infections will continue to rise and could top 20,000 by November unless strict measures are put into place. The study noted that “the risk of continued expansion of the Ebola outbreak is real. This study provides the evidence needed for an urgent wakeup call requiring intensive scaling up of control measures while working towards rapid development and deployment of new medicines and vaccines.”
Duncan’s case jarred the nerves of health officials and prompted an uptick in the number of reports of possible Ebola symptoms. So far, only Duncan’s case has been confirmed. Until lab reports are confirmed, the director of the Centers for Disease Control says it’s just “rumors and concerns.”
“We expect that we will see more rumors, or concerns, or possibilities of cases,” said Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, director of the CDC. Reports of possible cases included a sick man rushed off an airplane in Newark, New Jersey, just after landing from Belgium. News reports showed a man being taken to a hospital, raising fears about a possible Ebola outbreak in the United States.
Dallas health officials were tracking all the people with whom Duncan may have had contact, although the disease can only be spread by contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected person.
That has not stopped an epidemic of fear, however. As Duncan fought for his life, his relatives said they have been ostracized by the Liberian community in Texas because of fear of the disease. Public health officers have contacted 49 persons who were in contact with Duncan, and have asked that his girlfriend and three others who were in close contact remain quarantined for 21 days.
So far, no one who has been in contact with Duncan has shown signs of becoming ill.
Louise Troh, the woman Duncan came to visit, told reporters she is finding strength through prayer. “I pray in Jesus’ name that it will be all right,” Troh said in a telephone interview from the home where she and three others are being isolated. Troh has been moved out of her apartment to an undisclosed home in Dallas. Her daughters said the family has been shunned.
One daughter reported that neighbors point fingers at her door, saying “That is the Ebola family there.” Another said that she was told to remove her 2-year-old daughter from day care, and that other Liberian immigrants have posted impolite comments on Facebook about the family. “I cannot do anything,” Troh’s daughter Mawhen Jallah said, “because I know everybody is afraid.”
Fear could be as contagious as the disease itself.
Most everyone in the tight-knit Texas Liberian immigrant community knows someone in their native land who has died from Ebola. Containing fear about the disease spreading in the United States has been job number one for Dallas politicians. Responding to fears that the contagion could become unmanageable, Dallas County judge Clay Jenkins made a point of visiting Duncan’s home without protective clothing, and personally drove Duncan’s family to their new home.
Jenkins made a point that overcoming fear was critical, and that he went in order to place a human face on the disease. He drove home the message that -- infected or not -- lacking any symptoms the man’s family were incapable of spreading Ebola. But even as he attempted to shepherd the family through this nightmare, Jenkins encountered fear. Even the sheriff’s deputy traveling with him was uncertain he wanted to shake the judge’s hand. Jenkins’ every move was aimed at dissuading fear of the disease.
After driving the family, the county judge met with press. “I’m wearing the same shirt I was when I was in the car for 45 minutes today with that family,” he said. “If there was any risk, I wouldn’t expose myself or my family.”
Walking in the darkest valley, he sought to provide comfort to the family, even as he prepared his county for its encounter with this virulent enemy. Jenkins met the enemy face to face, walking unprotected into the apartment where the sick man had been staying. It was not unlike the psalmist’s encountering of goodness and God’s provision in a time of dire suffering -- and it conveyed a similar message of assurance.
In the Scriptures
Psalm 23 is perhaps the most beloved of all the psalms. It speaks of God’s unending love and provision for God’s people, and is intoned frequently at funerals. It conveys God’s rich provision in life’s most despairing moments -- and has become the prayer of many yearning for God’s peace in times of corporate or personal fear.
Yet its familiarity poses difficulty for preachers who must first scrape away at the accrued layers of meaning in order to let this gem shine its light on the fear-filled places of our contemporary world. Enter the psalm by exploring the twin metaphors of “shepherd” and “host” as descriptors of God. These metaphors demonstrate that the shepherd’s provision is complete. Moreover, the shepherd has generously provided for the psalmist at even the most tenuous and vulnerable moments of life. Yahweh has fended off the predators, and there is no cause for alarm. As Eugene Peterson’s translation The Message renders verse 3, “True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction.” There is no reason to fear -- even if deadly viruses linger, or terrorists attack, or economies fail.
As host, the shepherd has outdone himself in preparing a banquet. The shepherd has thought of everything, even to providing food in a hostile environment. There is ample food and more than sufficient drink. The psalmist’s head is weighed down from God’s lavish anointing. The tone is plentiful, the mood one of abundance.
In the face of such provision, what is there to fear? Indeed, the psalmist looks beyond the terror of the present moment, confident that God’s hesed love shall pursue him or her forever. The psalmist looks back on the way God has been steadfastly present with Israel while also expressing confidence in God’s provision for the future. There is no reason to fear -- in spite of enemies that are always present.
James May’s eloquent observations are therefore correct: “Strength must be found, a way must be walked, hard and evil threatened. Enemies persist. That is the environment of trust. Trust is not a rosy, romantic view of things. Its foundations are prayer and thanksgiving and the story of salvation” (Psalms [John Knox, 1994], p. 118).
In the Sermon
Judge Jenkins provides a model of the faithful shepherd -- one who acts righteously to care for the flock, even in a time of fear. Yet even the best human shepherds will falter. Fear will threaten to overcome us, as the psalmist would surely acknowledge. What shall lead us toward that peace which surpasses all understanding?
Perhaps the sermon could explore the table that is set before us in the presence of the agents (both human and viral) that seek to do us harm. Where have we feasted on grace in times of despair? The psalmist encounters hope in spite of lurking evil, and is thus confident in the affirmation that “I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.” It is that sort of hope which a wise shepherd needs bring to congregations awash in seas of fear.
Pastor Peter Flomo of Johnsonville, Liberia, warns his congregation of the risks associated with Ebola. He tells them to pray, of course, but Flomo is the sort of wise shepherd who puts prayers into action. He teaches good hygiene practices, and gives out bottles of bleach and wash buckets. He hopes to raise enough money to buy a bucket for every household in Liberia.
“You come into the home, before the entrance of the house. All will wash their hands,” says Flomo. “They have to have their hands washed with the bleach water in the bucket.” A U.S.-based charity, Teamwork Africa, is helping Flomo by buying the bleach water buckets in bulk.
It is a simple idea -- a bucket, overflowing with hope and a bit of bleach. But there in places of death, it is a reason to be hopeful. As Flomo says, “Even though Ebola is incurable, we know we can eradicate it, we can minimize the spread of Ebola.”
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Leah Lonsbury:
Matthew 22:1-14
When the Supreme Court declined to hear appeals from five states challenging lower court rulings legalizing same-sex marriage, a historic turn happened for the marriage equality movement. With this ruling (or lack thereof), more than 51 million people gained (or will soon gain) the right to marry, bringing the percentage of U.S. citizens with that right to 60. Prior to Monday, it had topped out at 44%.
While there is much to celebrate when more and more people are being invited to the wedding (or to have their own wedding celebration), it’s still clear that not everyone has made the guest list.
From Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin: “Any time same-sex couples are extended marriage equality is something to celebrate, and today is a joyous day for thousands of couples across America who will immediately feel the impact of today’s Supreme Court action. But let me be clear, the complex and discriminatory patchwork of marriage laws that was prolonged today by the Supreme Court is unsustainable. The only acceptable solution is nationwide marriage equality, and we recommit to ourselves to securing that ultimate victory as soon as possible.”
*****
Psalm 23
For the citizens of Kobani, Syria, and the many Kurdish, Turkman, Christian, and Arab refugees who have fled there because of other battles in the region, the “darkest valley” may well be on the horizon -- 9,000 ISIS fighters armed with tanks and rocket launchers have gathered around the city, and Turkish NATO forces have withdrawn, abandoning the city and its 50,000 civilian occupants.
“A terrible slaughter is coming. If they take the city, we should expect to have 5,000 dead within 24 or 36 hours,” reports Kurdish intelligence official Rooz Bahjat. “This just can’t be allowed to happen. I’m upset personally as a Kurd, seeing my brethren killed. I’m upset as a secularist seeing the hope of freedom being murdered and I’m upset as a human being, watching these monsters commit genocide.”
This situation makes Psalm 23 feel like a prayer before death and the anointing it mentions more like the marking of a sacrifice than bestowing of a blessing.
According to Bahjat, airstrikes in the area have been “modest in scope and notably ineffective.”
In the face of such pending destruction, what are the people of God called to do to make the way for goodness and mercy and to create a world where all are welcome to dwell in the safety of God’s house?
*****
Exodus 32:1-14
What is the golden calf that draws your congregation’s devotion and commitment away from God and God’s mission of love in the world? How are the people in the pews (as well as the people in the pulpit) stiff-necked and quick to turn away from the way God has set before us all? What divides and distracts them?
Perhaps in an effort to unify and refocus the church, Pope Francis urged frank, fearless debate between bishops as a two-week conference on family matters relevant to today’s Catholics opened on Monday. While encouraging the bishops to listen to each other in humility, Pope Francis instructed them this way: “You have to say what you feel the Lord tells you to say, without concerns of human respect and without fear.”
The Associated Press reports: “While insisting he is a ‘son of the church,’ Francis has said the church must show more mercy and be a ‘field hospital’ for wounded souls, suggesting he is seeking some sort of accommodation that conservatives say simply does not exist.”
How might open dialogue like this bring us closer together and to the way God is making for us?
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From team member Dean Feldmeyer:
Matthew 22:1-14
Disney Club 33
For a mere $10,000 membership fee and a “couple thousand” dollars a year in annual fees, you too can be a member of Disney’s Club 33, one of the most exclusive clubs in the world. For your 10 grand (plus), you get the pleasure of dining at a secret dining room in New Orleans Square, the only place in Disneyland that sells beverage alcohol. But wait, there’s more: you also get to ride in a special train car called the Lilly Belle. And you get to... well, nothing, really. The restaurant and the train car are about it.
But they must be pretty cool, right, pretty exclusive? Because, as of 2007 the waiting list to join was 14 years long. That was the last year they took applications.
*****
Matthew 22:1-14
Steak, Please
Probably the most exclusive steakhouse in the world is Aragawa in Tokyo, Japan, with only six tables. The décor is standard steakhouse with exposed brick, lots of wood and leather, and white linen tablecloths. If and when you ever get to make a reservation, don’t expect to choose a particular cut of beef, however. At this place, you pay $368 and the chef chooses your cut of beef and determines the best way to cook it. Your job is to eat it, smile, and pay up.
One cannot help but wonder if this super-exclusive restaurant has been frequented by members of the super-exclusive Sublime Society of Beefsteak, a British club that goes back about 300 years. Also known as the Beefeater’s Club, this society never numbers more than 24 members who meet regularly to eat steak, talk about how awesome steak is, sing songs about steak, and wear silly outfits -- including a badge that says “Beef and Liberty.”
*****
Matthew 22:1-14
It’s Greek to Me
The Greek system of fraternities and sororities on college campuses is often considered to be exclusivist and snobbish, perhaps thanks to Hollywood depictions of sororities and fraternities in popular movies like Animal House and Revenge of the Nerds.
In fact, however, Greek life got its start as a response and proletarian alternative to an exclusive and secret society at the College of William and Mary.
In the mid-1700s young men formed secret societies with three letter names like the PDA club (Please Don’t Ask) and the Flat Head Club (FHC) of which Thomas Jefferson was a member. Jefferson said in a letter that FHC served no practical purpose and the members met simply to drink and talk.
But when young John Heath was repeatedly denied entry into the PDA club, he began a club of his own and gave it a three letter name. To differentiate it from other clubs he chose three Greek letters, Phi Beta Kappa, and gave birth to what would become Greek life on college campuses.
*****
Psalm 23
Scared to Death
In 2009, 20-year-old Larry Whitfield botched a bank robbery in Charlotte, North Carolina -- and while trying to elude police, he broke into the home of 79-year-old Mary Parnell. Ms. Parnell was so terrified by the break-in that she suffered a heart attack and later died. Whitfield was charged with murder, under the state’s felony murder rule that allows that if you kill someone in the commission of a felony, even by accident, you can be charged with murder. Prosecutors alleged that Mary Parnell was scared to death.
But is it really possible, medically speaking, for a person to be scared to death?
Martin A. Samuels, chairman of the neurology department at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, answers: “Absolutely, no question about it.”
He goes on to explain that when we are scared the human body produces adrenaline to charge up the heart and other muscles in preparation for flight or fight. But adrenaline is toxic in large amounts and actually damages the muscles it stimulates. In the heart this damage is called myofibrillar degeneration, which can cause the heart to fail -- and the heart is the only muscle whose sudden failure can cause instant death.
So yes, it is medically possible to be scared to death.
*****
Psalm 23
Still Afraid
When I was about eight years old, the kids in our little neighborhood met with my brother and me every morning of the summer and we would spend most of the day playing together. That particular summer someone abandoned an old car in the field behind our house -- maybe 100 yards or so from our backyard -- and for several years that old car became our daily rendezvous, and our favorite big toy.
In the course of a couple of weeks it was a car, a tank, a boat, a fort, a cabin, and probably a dozen other things our imaginations turned it into. What we didn’t realize was that when we weren’t playing in that car a swarm of hornets was building a nest in the cushions of one of the seats.
One day seven of us went out to play in the car and were romping around as usual -- it was my turn to be behind the steering wheel -- when one of the children started screaming... then another, and another, and suddenly we were all out of the car running for home as fast as we could go, screaming and crying all the way with the hornets -- evil creatures that they are -- chasing and stinging us as we ran.
So traumatic was that event that to this day I have an unnatural, nearly phobic fear of stinging insects -- bees, hornets, wasps. And my fear is totally irrational. I have been stung and I know that, while it hurts, it isn’t fatal. But I’m still afraid of them, and if one gets in my car I have to pull off the road and open the doors until it flies out. If one flies into my office, my secretary has to come in and kill it while I cower in her office.
Oh, and the other reason why my fear is so irrational is this: Of the seven children who were playing in the car that day, I was the only one who wasn’t stung. Go figure.
***************
From team member Ron Love:
Matthew 22:1-14
The New York Times recently published an article titled “The Women Tech Forgot,” discussing women who from 1843 to 1946 made some of the greatest contributions to the advancement of technology, yet whose names have virtually been left unrecorded and unrecognized. For example, British mathematician Ada Lovelace defined the digital age -- in 1843 she wrote the first-ever computer algorithm. But when a prominent dinner was held at the University of Pennsylvania on February 14, 1846, to celebrate advances in the age of science, the men present dined and wined while Lovelace, uninvited, took the train home alone as the men celebrated.
Application: We often find the most faithful and dedicated individuals on the streets, ignored by society but whose attributes are realized by God.
*****
Philippians 4:1-9
A recent study showed that 2.8 million older adults abuse alcohol and drugs... and this number is increasing yearly. There are several reasons for this trend. Life changes such as the loss of a spouse or relocating into a smaller dwelling are factors; but the most significant trigger is boredom that comes from a loss of friends and meaningful employment.
Application: As much as Paul commands us to remain strong, we must realize that there are many social factors that can weaken our resolve.
*****
Philippians 4:1-9
The New York Times recently featured an article on Satchel Paige, referring to him as the “Methuselah of Baseball” because of his long pitching career. After years in the Negro Leagues and a short stint with the Cleveland Indians in his early 40s, Paige kept his baseball career alive by returning to the minor leagues. When asked why he remained as an active ballplayer well into his 50s, Paige responded: “I just haven’t gotten to the tired place yet.”
Application: We are to stand firm in the Lord, hoping never to reach the tired place.
*****
Exodus 32:1-14
In a recently published book titled The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Marketing of American Capitalism, Edward Baptist discusses how slavery was an integral part of the American economy. For instance, even though slavery was outlawed in Great Britain, English businessmen could secure Southern slaves as loans for business ventures, which allowed slaveowners to make investments from the secured interest.
Application: As the Israelites worshiped the golden calf, it is easy to rationalize any behavior that may justify our desires no matter how illicit it may be.
*****
Exodus 32:1-14
David Skeel, a Christian and a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania, is the author of the recently published book True Paradox: How Christianity Makes Sense of Our Complex World. The editor of Skeel’s book is another professor at Penn, Patrick Arsenault, who is an atheist. The book is the result of an ongoing dialogue the two men had regarding Christianity. Of their conversations Dr. Arsenault said, “The thing that really sticks out with me is that in the culture wars, the rhetoric is acerbic on both sides. On the humanist side, there’s this tendency to view people of faith as not rational. And David is certainly rational. He’s just looked at the same evidence as me and come to a different conclusion.”
Application: There was a cultural war between Aaron and Moses about which God would be worshiped.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: Praise God! O give thanks to God, for God is good.
People: God’s steadfast love endures forever.
Leader: Who can utter the mighty doings of God?
People: Who can declare all God’s praise?
Leader: Happy are those who observe justice.
People: Blessed are those who do righteousness at all times.
OR
Leader: God calls us and welcomes us into God’s realm.
People: With joy we hear God’s gracious invitation.
Leader: God instructs us in the ways we should walk there.
People: We are grateful for God’s instructions.
Leader: Admission into God’s banquet hall is free, yet pricy.
People: We come recognizing that we cannot pay the cost but willing to give all that we have.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord”
found in:
UMH: 540
H82: 524
PH: 441
NNBH: 302
NCH: 312
CH: 274
LBW: 368
W&P: 549
AMEC: 515, 517
“I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light”
found in:
UMH: 206
H82: 490
ELA: 815
W&P: 248
Renew: 152
“Tú Has Venido a la Orilla” (“Lord, You Have Come to the Lakeshore”)
found in:
UMH: 344
PH: 377
CH: 342
W&P: 347
“Dear Lord and Father of Mankind”
found in:
UMH: 358
H82: 652, 653
PH: 345
NCH: 502
CH: 594
LBW: 506
W&P: 470
AMEC: 344
“Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us”
found in:
UMH: 381
H82: 708
PH: 387
AAHH: 424
NNBH: 54
NCH: 252
CH: 558
LBW: 481
ELA: 789
W&P: 440
AMEC: 379
“O Master Let Me Walk with Thee”
found in:
UMH: 430
H82: 659, 660
PH: 357
NNBH: 445
NCH: 503
CH: 602
LBW: 492
ELA: 818
W&P: 589
AMEC: 299
“Dona Nobis Pacem”
found in:
UMH: 376
H82: 712
CH: 297
ELA: 753
STLT: 388
Renew: 240
“Refiner’s Fire”
found in:
CCB: 79
“Go Now in Peace”
found in:
CCB: 96
Renew: 293
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELA: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who desires to welcome all your children to the banquet: Grant us the grace to live our lives in ways that are worthy of our being your children; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We worship you, O God, and praise you for your generous welcome to your eternal banquet. Grant that, as we sing your praises, we may be open to your renewing Spirit that makes us worthy of our place in your holy family. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially our assumption that we are invited to the banquet regardless of our actions.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We are quick to assume that we are invited to your banquet and to be part of your realm. We are not so quick to evaluate our own behavior and see how it matches with the teachings of Jesus. We are anxious about whether the seating arrangements suit us, but we are careless about our “dress.” Forgive our foolishness and our carelessness. Fill us once again with your Spirit that makes us anew in your image. Amen.
Leader: God does desire for all of us to be part of the banquet. Receive God’s love and Spirit so that you may reflect in your lives the teachings of Jesus.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
Praise and glory are yours, O God, for your reign is over all creation.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We are quick to assume that we are invited to your banquet and to be part of your realm. We are not so quick to evaluate our own behavior and see how it matches with the teachings of Jesus. We are anxious about whether the seating arrangements suit us, but we are careless about our “dress.” Forgive our foolishness and our carelessness. Fill us once again with your Spirit that makes us anew in your image.
We give you thanks for all the ways in which you invite us to participate in your realm as your people. We thank you for Jesus, who teaches us how to live fully under your reign.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for one another in our needs, and for all of your children who struggle to find their place in your realm. Some feel they are not worthy or are not welcome; some complacently believe they have a right to be there regardless of how they treat others. Help us all to become clearer reflections of your image, that we may feel at home in your realm.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father . . . Amen.
(or if the Lord’s Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children’s Sermon Starter
Talk to the children about times when they may have been afraid, or share about some time when you were afraid, especially if it is a time when you felt alone. God knows how we feel and doesn’t want us to feel that we are alone, and God does not want us to be fearful. God is always with us like a shepherd stays with the sheep, even sleeping in the sheepfold.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
You’re Invited!
Matthew 22:1-14
Object: photocopied invitation cards (enough for each of the children) inviting the recipient to your church for worship
Once Jesus told a parable about a king who had a big wedding for his son. The king made wonderful preparations because it was a wedding to be remembered. He spared no expense in decorating the reception room. He paid a huge sum of money so that they could have a wonderful banquet with every kind of food. This was to be the most marvelous of weddings. So the invitations went out. (Hand out the invitation cards to each of the children.)
But when the people got their invitations, they made fun of them. They said that such a big wedding was a costly extra that the kingdom could not afford. Others said, “I’m too busy to go to a wedding -- even if it is the king’s son.” Others went off to work and ignored their invitations. Still others, when they got the invitations, mistreated the king’s servant who had brought them.
Do you think the king was happy about this? (Let the children answer.) No, I don’t think so. The king said, “If you won’t come to my son’s wedding, then I’ll invite others.” And so the invitation went to all kinds of people.
Now, Jesus told this story to explain how God wants all people to come to know God. The invitation that God gives is not just for church people like you and me. The invitation God gives is for everyone.
You have an invitation that invites someone to come here to church. You can give the invitation to a friend and tell him or her about Sunday school and church and invite him or her to come with you next Sunday. God loves you and me and invites us to worship, but God wants all people to know the good news about his son Jesus. We can help spread the word by inviting someone to come to church with us next Sunday.
Prayer: Dear God: Thank you for the invitation to know you. Help us spread the word to others so that they might come to know you too. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, October 12, 2014, issue.
Copyright 2014 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
